Publisher's Summary

Said to be the world's longest poem, Mahabharata was originally composed in 100,000 Sanskrit verses by the ancient Indian sage Vyasa. Revered as a sacred text within Hinduism, it contains the great spiritual teaching Bhagavad-gita. Krishna Dharma has condensed the epic into a fast paced novel that fully retains the majestic mood of the original. A powerful and moving tale, it recounts the history of the five heroic Pandava brothers, sons of the Emperor Pandu. Cheated of their kingdom and sent into exile by their envious cousins, they set off on a fascinating journey during which we meet gods, sages, mystics and mighty warrior kings. Profound spiritual themes underlie the thrilling narrative, making it one of the world's most revered texts. Culminating in an apocalyptic war, Mahabharata is a masterpiece of suspense, intrigue, and illuminating wisdom.

What made the experience of listening to Mahabharata: The Greatest Spiritual Epic of All Time the most enjoyable?

Heart felt reading. well translated. I have read/listened to many renditions -not having time to read a full translation. This and Jaya are my favorite so far.

What did you like best about this story?

Its comparative completeness.

What about Sarvabhavana Das’s performance did you like?

Very heartfelt, warm reading. However, if you have no patience with a homey read, this may not be for you. Can sometimes hear his chair squeak or can tell he has a cold. Chapter ten was obviously never edited and he has a cough that can be distracting.

Any additional comments?

Jaya is another rendition of the Mahabharata that I highly recommend. If you like to feel you are listening to a friend read, this is an excellent listen. I downloaded in parts and the end of part three and beginning of part four have three or four incomplete sentences. In such a long production, I felt the problems were small quirks. But I do hope if they go back and edit the production, Audible will offer us the edited version to replace this one.

12 of 12 people found this review helpful

rfi123158

19/01/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"the narrator was monotonous and monotone"

the narrator's voice was monotone and monotonous and I had to force myself to listen to the audio . sorry it was below par

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

GrayDharma

23/11/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Narrator's constant mispronunciations ruined it..."

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A different, preferably Indian, narrator

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

couldn't stick it out that long, though I really tried

How could the performance have been better?

Narration did not appear to be edited and/or directed at all. At points you can hear him breathing heavily, swallowing and even coughing. Sloppy work.

Any additional comments?

I think this version is far below Audible's typically high standards. I've n been listening to audio books for 20 years and this is by far the worst "professional" reading I've ever come across. Westerners in the U.S. doing a lazy and sloppy job with stories like these borders on cultural insult.

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

Edward

22/11/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Mispronunciation and artifacts"

An otherwise fine performance is marred by numerous mispronunciations and audio artifacts. Production quality is not to the level I've come to expect from Audible.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Nicholas

19/02/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Outstanding. Top-notch retelling. Thank you."

My knees went weak and literally buckled on me during the last five minutes. Phenomenal story.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

6/07/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"epic"

long and rambling but great nonetheless. not for the faint of heart. listen at a slow pace.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Kindle Customer

29/06/17

Overall

"Excellent"

Kept my attention, was well narrated, contains many spiritual teachings and thought provoking questions. I highly recommend this audio book.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Arjuna Lowther

16/06/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"A transcendent experience"

I couldn't stop listening. the calm,soothing voice of the narrator suited the transcendental story . this was an amazing experience for me,hearing the story of Krishna and Arjuna,whom I am named after, and the other pandavas. a window into a time far superior to our own, where true virtue lived, and how our current age of Kali began. this is the best English translation of the Mahabharata, respectful and mindful of Lord Krishna as the supreme person, the true God. i recommend this to anyone.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Pahj

18/04/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"True to its title!"

This book has it all; love, war, fantasy, sci-fi, gods, demons, and spiritual meaning as well.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Douglas F. Couch

7/03/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Good narrative of an epic story"

I enjoyed this respectful telling of the epic tale. The characters represent different aspects of one's internal spiritual life.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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Ross T

6/10/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Culturally fascinating and wonderfully gripping"

A true epic beautifully translated. Whether religiously interested or looking for a top piece of literature, this will certainly fit any bill.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Vraja

15/09/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Wish I could give it 10 stars"

I just finished and I'm going back to the start to listen again.It really is epic. Thank you for this wonderful book.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Mrs A Higgins

8/02/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"An Epic, beautifully read"

Where does Mahabharata: The Greatest Spiritual Epic of All Time rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is the best audiobook I've ever listened to

Who was your favorite character and why?

Krishna is my favourite character, it's impossible not to fall in love with him

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Its impossible to choose a single scene as they all make up the story

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The best book in the world

Any additional comments?

A must read for everyone

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

P. Parekh

UK, England

10/03/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Excellent narrative with good flow. Great epic bought to life by the reader. Fantastic insight in to the Indian history and phil"

Excellent narrative with good flow. Great epic bought to life by the reader. Fantastic insight in to the Indian history and philosophy.Vedic yoga threads are well discussed as well as metaphysical musings.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Ruth

2/03/16

Overall

"Mahabharata"

Truly insightful and absolutely sublimely enjoyable. The stories are wonderful to hear again and again.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

22/12/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"The best epic of all time! loved every minute!"

I just loved loved it! I wanted to read this epic for a long time. .but listening was for more enjoyable. . kudos to the narrator for a such as excellent rendition. . I'm going to listen this beautiful epic over and over again!

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Samir Patel &#34;Sam&#34;

uk

29/11/16

Overall

"Truly an epic"

So many lessons can be learned from here if you are open to it. A superb book!

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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